The Federal Republic is making education policy history on Thursday: For the first time, Anna Stolz, a minister from Bavaria, who is not in the CSU, is taking over the chairmanship of the Conference of Education Ministers (BMK). Many of the other education ministers will be pleased that the Free Voters politician does not always agree with her Prime Minister Markus Söder.
His most recent initiative, for example, is that schools in Bavaria are already allowed to do so on certain occasions It will soon be mandatory to play the national, European and Bavarian anthemsStolz noted that it is not about duty, but about dealing with values and norms.
When it comes to the issue of unannounced tests in schools, the positions appear to be even further apart. Stolz wanted to “fundamentally” check whether the high number of tests in class was still appropriate, as other federal states have long since done – until Söder spoke out in favor of unannounced exams. What is particularly well received by schools in Bavaria is that Stolz attaches great importance to always discussing possible changes with the “school family” in advance. So with school management, parents, students and teachers.
However, despite all the differences to Söder, her political profile is clearly conservative. As a focus for the one-year BMK chairmanship Among other things, Stolz chose to promote a “healthy and positive performance culture” in schools. Before she left for the official handover in Berlin, Stolz said: “Achievement is also something damn cool.” Children wanted to compete, get better and feel what they were made of.
Performance, but without pressure?
At the same time, Stolz also wants to promote sport and general exercise in schools. In the Free State, Stolz prescribed more exercise at the beginning of the school year. Since then, there has been a daily “half hour of exercise” in primary schools (based on the “Constitutional Quarter Hour”, which is intended to strengthen political education). As BMK President, Stolz of course also wants to strengthen “digital education”.
From the point of view of the head of the teachers’ association, Stefan Düll, this is a sensible focus overall. Above all, he welcomes the commitment to the performance principle: “Basically, schools must demand performance,” says Düll to the taz. Performance and pressure are part of life. As a headmaster, he knows that with learning requirements, tests and grades you can get students “out of their comfort zone”. That is given Declining performance of German students in reading and arithmetic important – and also the right signal politically.
For us, a commitment to the performance principle is not a pedagogical concept
Lilli Berthold, Federal Student Conference
The Federal Student Conference, on the other hand, looks at the new BMK president with skepticism. “A commitment to the performance principle is not a pedagogical concept for us,” says Vice Secretary General Lilli Berthold to the taz. On the contrary, it exacerbates the unequal starting opportunities. “Only those who already perform well are happy to face competition.” For everyone else it just means more pressure.
The Federal Student Conference has long been calling for more attention to the issue of mental health in schools. In her current mental health campaign, she calls, among other things, for more school psychologists and social workers in schools, more prevention offers and binding standards for mental health education.
Anna Stolz takes over the chairmanship of the BMK from the Education Minister of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Simone Oldenburg (Left Party). Their motto was: more equal opportunities.